UNF's police building named for former director

By RAQUEL MANNINGStaff writer,

When Martin P. Garris became director of police and public safety at the University of North Florida in 1975, he had work to do.

The police department consisted of a small group of basic security officers with no building of its own. But under Garris' leadership, the department was transformed into a full-service law enforcement agency with its own stand-alone, multi-functional facility.

That facility -- the University of North Florida Police Building -- was dedicated recently to the late Garris in a service attended by Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, former Sheriff Nat Glover and Garris' widow, Intracoastal West resident Betty Garris.

She said her husband cared about people, regardless of race or social status.

"I used to call him Atticus from To Kill a Mockingbird," she said. "One person can make a difference if they stand up."

Martin Garris served 19 years in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and 20 years on the University Police Department before passing away in 2002.

"He was an exceptional human being with a special relationship to the university," said UNF President John Delaney.

The building dedication was the result of a grass-roots campaign by students and the community who wanted to honor Garris for his achievements in creating a police-community relationship and improving and diversifying the police department, Delaney said.

Garris pioneered the idea of community policing, which was an effort to connect police officers to the community, according to Delaney.

"He was really the cornerstone of community policing before it even was community policing," Rutherford added.

Betty Garris, wife of the late Martin P. Garris, and UNF President John Delaney unveil a plaque to be hung in the Martin P. Garris Police Building. RAQUEL MANNING/Staff

The University Police Department still practices community policing as a result of Garris' influence, said University Police Chief Mark Foxworth. He noted that the three core values of the police department today -- partnership, integrity and respect -- serve to represent Garris' dedication to the university.

Garris said police officers were to gain the trust of those they served, the very idea behind community policing, Foxworth said.

Throughout his career, Garris also dedicated himself to providing opportunity and diversity in the police department.

"He was all about giving people opportunities when other people wouldn't give opportunities to them," Foxworth said.

Garris was active in the civil rights movement and in providing opportunities to African-Americans in the police department.

"It was not a popular position to take," Glover said. "He did what he did in a very difficult environment."

Garris was also an advocate for improving professionalism in university police departments across the state.

"He took a group of security guards and turned them into professionals," Foxworth said.

In the mid-'80s, Garris' efforts were rewarded when all university police officers in Florida were recognized on the same professional level as other state police officers.

According to Delaney, the re-naming of the UNF Police Building to the Martin P. Garris Police Building is an "appropriate recognition."

"We always felt like we had a silent treasure," said Amy Bowman, Garris' daughter. "To be formally recognized is a tremendous accomplishment."